Hezekiah Russel Holland (born September 18, 1936) is an American lawyer who serves as a senior United States district judge on the United States District Court for the District of Alaska.

H. Russel Holland
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
Assumed office
September 18, 2001
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
In office
1989–1995
Preceded byJames Martin Fitzgerald
Succeeded byJames Keith Singleton Jr.
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
In office
July 16, 1984 – September 18, 2001
Appointed byRonald Reagan
Preceded byJames von der Heydt
Succeeded byRalph Beistline
Personal details
Born
Hezekiah Russel Holland

(1936-09-18) September 18, 1936 (age 88)
Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Michigan (BBA, LLB)

Education and career

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Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Holland received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business in 1958 and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Michigan Law School in 1961. He was a law clerk to Buell A. Nesbett, chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court, from 1961 to 1963. He was an Assistant United States Attorney of the Anchorage, Alaska division from 1963 to 1965. He then entered private practice at Stevens & Savage, the law firm of future U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. Holland became a partner in the firm and its name was changed to Stevens, Savage & Holland.[1] Holland was in private practice until 1984.[2]

Federal judicial service

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On March 6, 1984, Holland was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Alaska vacated by Judge James von der Heydt. Holland was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 26, 1984, and received his commission on July 16, 1984. He served as Chief Judge from 1989 to 1995, assuming senior status on September 18, 2001.[2]

Holland serves as a visiting judge in the District of Arizona,[3] having first presided over a case in that court in 1993.[4] He has heard 835 cases in the District of Arizona.[5] Notable trials he handled were 2014's United States v. Town of Colorado City, Ariz., et al., in which the local government was controlled by leaders from FLDS sect of Mormonism,[6][7] and consolidated Theranos litigation (Toy v. Theranos, Inc., et al.)[8] from October 2016 until June 2020 when he requested it be reassigned.

Notable cases

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Holland presided over the litigation ensuing after the Exxon Valdez disaster.

He was formerly (until June 2020)[9] the presiding judge in a class action lawsuit against Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.[10]

Association

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Holland is a member of the Petroleum Club, a social organization that has many members associated with the oil industry.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Gardner, Darrel J. (September 2017). "Senior Judges Special Section – Hon. H. Russel Holland" (PDF). The Federal Lawyer: 58–60. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Holland, H[ezekiah] Russel - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
  3. ^ http://www.azd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/documents/visitingjudges.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ "Stanton v. Owens-Corning Fiberg, et al".
  5. ^ "Cases filed in Arizona Before Judge Russel Holland".
  6. ^ Amanda Pampuro (2019-08-26). "Ninth Circuit Upholds Verdict Against Sect-Run Arizona Town". Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  7. ^ "Court upholds ruling that Arizona town conspired with fundamentalist LDS church". Tucson Sentinel. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  8. ^ https://www.docketbird.com/court-cases/In-re-Arizona-Theranos-Incorporated-Litigation/azd-2:2016-cv-02138/page/7 [bare URL]
  9. ^ www.docketbird.com https://www.docketbird.com/court-cases/In-re-Arizona-Theranos-Incorporated-Litigation/azd-2:2016-cv-02138. Retrieved 2021-01-20. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. ^ Spiezio, Caroline (2019-11-08). "Judge to okay Cooley lawyers' request to drop client Elizabeth Holmes". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-01-20.
  11. ^ Hevesi, Dennis (25 April 1991). "Judge's Ties to Oil Industry Didn't Matter, Friends Say". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.

Sources

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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
1984–2001
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Alaska
1989–1995
Succeeded by